New Delhi: The BJP on Monday slammed the Congress over V D Satheesan being sworn in as the Kerala chief minister, alleging the party has "surrendered to Islamists" and is functioning under pressure from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Satheesan on Monday took oath as Kerala's chief minister, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office to the Congress Legislature Party leader in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged the Congress leadership has ignored the will of its MLAs while selecting the chief ministerial candidate.
In a post on X, Poonawalla said, "Congrats to the first CM of Jamaat & IUML Shri VD Satheeshan."
#WATCH Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla says, "... This is not Congress's, but Muslim League's first Chief Minister in Kerala... Congress's high command took the decision from Delhi to make VD Satheesan the Chief Minister based on the fatwa of the Jamaat and… pic.twitter.com/xvfrR6mHHG
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2026
IUML is the second-largest constituent of the Congress-led UDF coalition in Kerala.
Sharing a video statement along with the post, the BJP leader alleged that the Congress high command has "capitulated" to the demands of the Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami for "vote-bank politics".
"As soon as Satheeshan has been picked by the Congress party under pressure of Muslim League and Jamaat, the Muslim League is showing its true colours," he claimed. Poonawalla also alleged that the Congress government in Kerala is effectively being run by the Muslim League.
"It is not a government of Congress, it is a government of Muslim League," he said, accusing the Congress of compromising with "Islamist radicals". The BJP leader further alleged that the democratic will of Congress MLAs has been "overruled" in the selection of the chief minister.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Thousands of Congress workers arrived in the state capital from across Kerala for the event. The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, with the results declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, while the LDF secured 35 and the BJP won three.
